Hydrocarbon generator and burner



Jume l2, 1923. 4

' G.l N. BLANCHARD ET AL HYDROGRBON'GENERATOR AND BURNER Filed oct. 19,1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 'ifi I In 3- m 2# WMM@ lFune 12, 1923. 1,458,680

G. N. BLANCHARD ET Al.

HYDROCARBON GENERATOR AND BURNER Filed Oct. 19 1920 2 Sheets-SheetPatented June l2, 1923.

UNITED sTArss PATENT ,formeray GEORGE N. BLNCHARD AND CLARENCEv.lTCiDLtiiR, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA,

ASSIGNORS TO COLMAR BURNER COMPANY, OF

CORPORATION OF CALIFORNIA.

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA., A

HYDROCARBON GENERATOR AND BURNER.

Application filed October 1i), y192i). Serial No. 418,033.

To all whom t may concern.' e

Be it known that we, GEORGE N. BLANCH- ARD and CLARENCE F.CoLMiimfcitizens of the United States, residing at the city and countyvof San F raneiseo and State of California, have inventedeertain new anduseful Improvements in Hydrocarbon 5 Generators and Burners, of whichthe' following is a specilication. v

The present invention relates to improvements in burner constructionsfor utilizing as a fuel mediuingas generated from hydrocarbon liquidfuels, and has for its principal object to provide an organizedapparatus generated from fuel of the type supplied to the generator, andfrom the saine general feed connection; andto provide means associatedwith the element for initially heating thegenerator whereby its flow offuel is automatically shut off aty apredetermined time. A

A further object is to provide agenerator construction equipped with amember at the 4U discharge Vend for 'controlling the discharge of thegenerated gas intothe burner mixing' chamber', and one provided with avmember whereby the discharge tip ofthe generator will be maintainedfree of carbon at `all times. j 'i In accomplishingthese results, and inproviding what may be termed an autoniati-r cally controlled generatingand burning unit for gaseous fuel generated `from liquid hywherein thereis provided associated `devices rfrom the for initially heating thegenerator bygas drocarbon oils, the hereinafter described elements'areassoeiated and connected yin such manner as to providean apparatus'capable of accomplishing the aforementioned results.

TWith the above mentioned and otlierobl jects in view, the inventionconsists inthe novel construction'and combination rof `parts hereinafterdescribed, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and set'forth in'the claims hereto appended, it being understood tliat'va-rious changesin the form, proportion, size and minor details of constructionwithin'the scope of the claims may be resorted to withoutdeparting fromthe spirit or sacrificing any of the :advantages` of the invention.

Tol'moi-e fully eomprehendthe invention, reference is directed to theaccompanying drawings, wherein y v Figure l is a view in topy plan ofthe preieri-ed embodiment of'our invention.

Figure 2 is a view in side elevation construction illustrated in Figure1.

Figure 3 yof the is a view in side elevation of the `constructionillustrated in Figure yl viewed side opposite to which Figure 2 istaken. y 1 f lFigure 4 is a transverse sectional view taken onthe line 44 of Figure l illustrating the 'burner casting and the mixing chamber,and f f y Figure 5 is a sectionalview talrenoii vline 5-5y of Figure 1disclosing the controlling "valve yand cleaningneedle at the dischargektip end 'of the generator.

yFigure 6 is a. vertical sectionall view yin detail of the valve forcontrolling the supply of fluid to the generator.

lFigure 't' is a vertical rsectional lview through the generator heater.f

In the drawings, whereinlilre 'characters in plan and formed ina single'cast; The burner is provided witha central portion 2 having suitablepilot burne'rslots 3 extending longitudinally of one end` thereof, andterminating at a` point beneath 'the raised portion at of the burner,which provides a y9ov f of reference designate corresponding parts, lindicates a'burner substantially rectangular mixing chamber into whichdischargesI the gas generated by the hereinafter described mechanism.

` spending vopening rintegral portion 11 at the opposite end of the`burner .1..y y

Liquid hydrocarbon fuel of any suitable I erated gases.

l flame issuing from 512 disposed `with its fing- -through tlie opening10, 'fopposite'end,extended through and held by At either sidebf thecentral port-ion 2 are 'p-roiif'ided the parallel tubular burnerchannels 6 communicating with each other at their oppositeends, and withthe vmain portion 2, bylateralchannels 7, the said burner channelsbeing`separated intermediate their opposite ends between the walls of saidlateral channel 7 by passages 8 which admit of the circulation of airbetween'adjacent channel forming walls. The upper surfaces of thechannels -are preferably flat and are pref erablydisposed in the sameplane, n provided withthe laterally disposed parallel.spacedburner slots9, Figures 1 and f4: of

the drawings. This burner construction enables :a vuniform distributionof 'thee genera-ted gases over a widey area of the passages f8 betweenadjacentburner channels and enables the burners to be maintainedArelatively cooled for thev proper. burning of the ygenln the frontvertical wall of the portionil, there is provided a suitable opening A10which is in line with a 'correformed in ian upstandinggraVityA-isgenerated into a gas by the pilot the slots 3, as it issupplied to a suitable generator, one embodiymentjofwhich isset forthin. Letters Pat* ent of vfthe', United, States,y #1,372,280.

dated March22nd, 192.1, and said generator consists vof -atubularoutershell or casing :discharge end projectandwith its a set screw 13within the opening in the fmemberelfl. Thepreferred embodiment ofthe-generator maybe briely described kas At the discharge endthereofz-.is positioned a tubularclosure member .let haringva'f'reducedf `discharge end .into whichA is threaded a discharge tip 15provided with av discharge orifice 16 through whichl the gas generatorwithin the tube 12 discharges under pressure into the mixing chamberv 5.From the inner end of the member 1s'- extends a' cylindrical.` sleeve17the outer wall of A which is spaced from the inner wallof the tube .12providing agas passage around the 'same and the gasreceivedinsaid.passage ...passes into the interiorl of the chamberv inthemembeivld through one oivmoreportsr 18. Extending longitudinallywithin the l'tube 12- and threaded at vits outer end into g the endofthesleeve17 is a gascontrol valve 219,1the-.tapered end -of which .isadapted 1 when the Valve is rotated to closed position,

f to seat o'n the bevel wall 2O on the interior of the member 14. Themember 19 is tubuand are f end is provided with a head 21k to'facilitate the inward pressing of the member 22 to project the needleendthereof into the oritice 16 to spring -25 normally', maintains theneedle end 23` removed from the discharge oriiice 16, as in Figure 5 ofthe drawings. y

- yFrom this construct'on, it will be apparL ent that the discharge ofthe gasr from within the generator is ,Controlledat a point within thegenerator adjacentto 'where the generator enters the mixing chamberT y iHydrocarbon liquid fuel of fany suitable .gravity is supplied underpressure ,into'tlie Vgenerato-r f tube 12 through a valye controlledconnection 2,6, theyalve "27 therein regulating the maximum flow offueltobe admitted. Q4. ,Y ,v

ln devices of the present type, it isnn'ecessary to initiallyy heat` the.generator v12v to raise the temperature thereof to ap/ointpsufiiciently highk to generatevthe linitial fuel the jmember 22is reduced vto form a cleaning needle 23, and the outer free the same of carbon. A -coiled Volume `supplied thereto into gas, :and in.accomplishing this ,result we prefer to ein 'l ploy a. perforated tube28v-disposed `longitudinally of the generatortube12, and Iat the outerend of thesarne isjmounted -a suitable fuell from the connection 2,6,through l a therkmostatic valvecasing ,30,l of vanymsuitableconstruction,.wh`i ch isl operated by the` temperature Within th@glel-,lg chamber,

,Ihis 'temperature is caused by an'.auxiliaryl 11D suitable ,fuelthrough a feed 32. A pip@ pilot burner- 31,preferably supplied withsupplies the fuel connectionfrom 26 'to the valveBO, and a'rpipelconducts 4thefuel generator 29. Y y .A

The pipe 34C is coiled as at 50 vabove the burner 31 about a mercurycontaining tube 51', which-mounts the Valye casing auxiliary gasgenerator] 29v supplied with from the valve casing 30 into theauxiliary.

80. VVithifn the casingl 3() is ilocated a,yal\ie,.

52 controlling the passage .of fuelfrom pipes 33 to 34; fThe valve isrmounted on a plunger 53 normally inainta'inedin contact with the,diaphragm 5a.', by a.- spring 55. The diaphragm 5st is operated by the.

expansion ,of the.mercurymwithin,tube 51 on the tube. beingsuliicientlyheatedby burner 31, :and by. the spring 554 onl lthe flame of burner 31lowering or being extinguished. Brieiy this device operates in thefollowing manner, the fuel within the auxiliary pilot burner 31 beingignited in any suitable manner, the heat from ksaid burner raises thetemperature ofthe auxiliaryy generator 29, and on the temperaturethereof rising to a given point, said temperature opens the valve casing3() permitting the flow of fuel to be generated into gas in theauxiliary generator 29, and as generated into gas, the fuel passestherethrough into perforated tube 28. Above the tube 28 adjacent theauxiliary generator 29, is a conducting tube 35, which causes anigniting of the gas issuing from the perforations in tube 28 by theflame of the burner 31 within the generator 29, thus on the generationinto gas of the fuel admitted into` the mixing chamber 5, and thedischarge of the same through the perforations in tube 28, the Haine ofthe burner 31 automatically ignites said auxiliary generator, and theflame therefrom heats the main generator until the fuel therein isgenerated into gas, and passes into the mixing chamber 5, and therefrominto the pilot burner slots 3 and main burner slots 9, after which timethe flame beneath the generator 12 maintains the same at the requiredgenerating temperature. On the fuel charge Within the auxiliary burner31 extinguishing' by burning out, the temperature of the auxiliarygenerator 29 automatically lowers and the valve within casing 3()automatically closes shutting off the supply of fuel to the auxiliarygenerator 29.k

It will thus be apparent that after the lighting of the auxiliary burner31, the operation of admitting fuel into lthe auxiliary generatorconverting the same into gas igiiiting the gas and directing against themain generator, and the shutting oif of the fuel supply to the auxiliarygenerator, is all automatic.

To preclude the continued feeding of fuel to the main generator, shouldfor any reason the flame of the burner 1, or the pilot burner 3, becomeextinguished, or should for any reason the temperature of the generatingtube 12 fall below the generating temperature, the flow of fuel tothegenerating tube is automatically cut olf to prevent the flooding of thegenerator tube and consequent flooding of the burner, which might causeserious damage should the same be subsequently ignited and containhighly volatile hydrocarbon fuel oil.

The mechanism for accomplishing this purpose consists primarily in avalve `cas-v ing 36 interposed in the fuel feed pipe 26 between themanually controlled valve 27 of the generator tube 12, and said valvecasing mounts a plunger 37 separated from the mercury in tube 37 by adiaphragm 38. A spring 39 tends to normally seat the plunger 37 and theplunger mounts an adjustable needle valve 392, which is adapted tocontroltlie fuel inlet passage 41 within thel casing 36. lSaidvalve isof the pressure conf trolled type, and connected with the saine isasuitable operating member in the forni of a mercury ytube which isdisposed in proximity to the generatorytube'lQ, and is'iillustrated asbeing coiled at one kend about ythe sainey as yat 38, although it is toybe understood that this tube may be constructed in any suitable ymannerjust so' long as the same is in proximity to the generator and is heatedby the heat radiating therefrom. The mercury in tube 37 tends whenexpanded to unseat the valve in casing 36 andwhen contracted to permittlieclosing thereof to shut olf the fuel flow to the generator.

From this construction, it will be apparent that, kas long as thegenerator tube is of a sufficient 'temperature to generate the heatkedcarbon fuel delivered thereinto into'gas, the mercury in the tube 37 isexpanded sufficiently to maintain the valve in the casing 36 unseated,but if for vany reason should the temperature of the generator tube fallbelow generating temperature, the mercury in the tube 37 will contractand enable the valvev in the casing36to become seated, and therebyautomatically cut offr the flow of fuel into the generator tube 12.

plan, said casting provided on each side ofl its longitudinal centerwith a plurality of parallel burner channels, the upper surface of saidburner channels being substantially fiat and kdisposed in substantiallythe same plane and provided with a 'plurality lof.

parallel spaced longitudinally extending burner slots, a mixing domedischarging into the hollow interior of said member, a generatoroverlying the burner casting and discharginginto said mixing dome, and avalve controlled means for supplying fuel to said generator.

2. A gaseous fuel burner construction` ilo consist-ing of a burnermember, formed in c .avsingle casting having a hollow interior andsubstantially rectangular in plan, said castingfprovided on each side ofits longi-L tudinal center with a plurality of parallel burner channelsseparated intermediate their ends by an air passage affording a coolingchamber, the upper surface of said burner channels being substantiallyflat and GEORGE N; BLANCHARD.. GLARENQE F. 00L-MAR.

